1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to novel compounds which have retinoic acid-like biological activity. More specifically, the present invention relates to compounds having an ethynyl benzoic acid portion and a second portion which is a 2-and/or 4-substituted thiochromanyl, or chromanyl group. The acid function may also be converted to an alcohol, aldehyde or ketone, or derivatives thereof, or may be reduced to --CH.sub.3.
2. Related Art
European Patent Application 176034A (published Apr. 2, 1986) discloses tetrahydronaphtalene compounds having an ethynylbenzoic group. U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,098 discloses compounds wherein three olefinic units from the acid-containing moiety of retinoic acid are replaced by an ethynylphenyl functionality. These compound have retinoic acid-like biological activity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,804 (issued on Mar. 7, 1989) based on an application of the same inventor and assigned to the same assignee as the present application, discloses such disubstituted acetylene compounds wherein one of the substituents of the acetylene (ethyne) group is a substituted phenyl group, and the second substituent is a substituted or unsubstituted 6-chromanyl, 6-thiochromanyl or 6-tetrahydroquinolinyl group. The compounds disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,804 have retinoic acid-like biological activity.
Several co-pending applications of the present inventor, which applications are assigned to the assignee of the present application, are directed to further types of disubstituted acetylene compounds wherein one substituent of the acetylene (ethyne) moiety is a substituted phenyl or a substituted heteroaryl group, and the other substituent is a substituted or unsubstituted 6-chromanyl, 6-thiochromanyl or 6-tetrahydroquinolinyl group. The disubstituted acetylene compounds described and claimed in the aforesaid co-pending applications have significant retinoic acid-like activity.
A published European patent application of the present applicant (Publication No. 0284288, published on Sep. 28, 1988) describes compounds having retinoic acid like activity which are 4,4 disubstituted chroman-6-yl, 4,4 disubstituted--thiochroman-6-yl acetylenes also substituted by a substituted heteroaryl group.
Retinoic acid-like activity has been generally recognized in the art to be associated with useful biological activity. Specifically, compounds having retinoic acid-like activity are useful as regulators of cell proliferation and differentiation, and particularly as agents for treating dermatoses, such as acne, Darier's disease, psoriasis, icthyosis, eczema, atopic dermatitis and epithelial cancers, for treating arthritic diseases and other immunological disorders (e.g. lupus erythematosus) for promoting wound healing, for treating dry eye syndrome and for reversing and preventing the effects of sun damage to skin.
With respect to the synthetic processes of the present invention which involve either the formation of an acetylenic (ethynyl) function in the compounds of the invention, or the coupling of the compounds of the invention which already have the ethynyl function with a halogen substituted phenyl group, the following articles comprise background information: A General Synthesis of Terminal and Internal Arylalkynes by the Palladium-Catalyzed Reaction of Alkynylzinc Reagents with Aryl Halides by Anthony O. King and Ei-ichi Negishi, J. Org. Chem. 43 1978 p 358; Conversion of Methyl Ketones into Terminal Acetylenes and (E)-Trisubstituted Olefins of Terpenoid Origin by Ei-ichi, Anthony O. King, and William L. Klima, J. Org. Chem. 45 1980 p.2526, and A Convenient Synthesis of Ethynylarenes and Diethynylarenes by S. Takahashi, Y. Kuroyama, K. Sonogashira, N. Hagihara, Synthesis 1980 p 627-630.